Thread by @NaturesPoisons

A is for aconitine,
the Queen of Poisons she’s called.
Acting on ion-channels
flutters the heart, leaves it mauled.

There is plenty in Monkshood,
roots and leaves look delicious.
But snuck into a curry
is awfully suspicious.

B is for batrachotoxin,
it’s a bit difficult to say.
On the skin of poison dart frogs,
just one lick will ruin your day.

Paralysis sets in quickly
while depolarizing your nerves.
Remember when you are frozen,
dart frogs make horrible hors d’oeuvres.

C is for cantharidin,
from the blister beetle bug.
Also known as Spanish Fly,
honestly a bad love drug.

A rather simple structure
makes your skin disintegrate.
But be aware, you could die,
if you’re poisoned by your date.

D is for domoic acid,
produced by toxic algal blooms.
An amnesic shellfish poison
stored in bivalves that you consume.

It corrupts your hippocampus
and makes you lose sight of your words.
Known to make wildlife psychotic,
even inspired Hitchcock's "The Birds."

E is for ergotamine,
a drug with many symptoms.
From a fungus found on wheat,
It’s claimed a lot of victims.

A wild trip, like LSD,
called St. Anthony’s Fire.
Burning limbs, dazed and confused,
the situations dire.

F is for fluoroacetate,
the perfect poison it may be.
It brings death with no antidote,
a murder weapon we can’t see.

Found naturally in desert shrub,
it poisons a lot of cattle.
Cellular respiration stops,
halts the citric acid cycle.

G is for grayanotoxin,
made by Rhododendron species.
Poisoned pollen picked up by bees
is produced into Mad Honeys.

It stimulates the CNS;
nausea, weakness, double vision.
Mithridates poisoned an army
to stop a Roman invasion.

H is for hypoglycin,
found in unripe ackee fruit.
A mere amino acid,
when eaten will make you boot.

It lowers your blood sugar,
and depletes your body’s fuel.
Dine on only ripe and canned,
you don’t want to be that fool.

I is for ibotenic acid,
it’s really best if you don’t eat it.
In Amanita muscaria,
this wicked mushroom will give you fits.

A psychoactive neurotoxin,
first you’ll vomit then hallucinate.
Works on NMDA receptors,
mimics the actions of glutamate.

J is for jingzhaotoxin,
a venom from a spider.
A Chinese tarantula,
one look my eyes are wider.

Acts on sodium channels,
including those in your heart.
The bites are never fatal,
but avoiding them is smart.

K is for kalkitoxin,
very few poisons start with K.
This one is neurotoxic,
and made by blue-green algae.

The toxin destroys your brain
and blocks sodium channels.
It doesn’t discriminate
and kills both fish and mammals.

L is for lycorine,
from pretty daffodils.
Also in bush lilies,
set on your window sill.

Perhaps a cancer cure?
Stops protein synthesis.
But eating by mistake
induces emesis.

M is for moroidin,
From gympie gympie trees.
A bicyclic peptide,
will bring you to your knees.

Venom stored in nettles,
brings agonizing pain.
Misery lasts for weeks,
a toxin inhumane.

N is for nicotine,
I’m sure you’ve heard of it.
What about blowing smoke
up your butt where you sit?

An old-time remedy,
what else is there to say?
If you happened to drown,
‘twas there to save the day.

O is for orellanine,
a pyridine-N-oxide.
From deadly webcap mushrooms,
makes you sickly, some have died.

Take writer Nicholas Evans,
he and family ate a few,
they all had kidney transplants,
but now they’re good as new.

P is for pahutoxin,
secreted by the cowfish.
Poisonous to marine life,
but a rare and savory dish.

Mucus oozes when they’re stressed,
like when predators abound.
Ruptures blood cells in their gills,
they no longer come around.

Q is for quinine,
treats malaria.
From Cinchona trees,
in hot areas.

In tonic water,
it’s gross no one wins.
Has a bitter taste,
best to mix with gin.

R is for resiniferatoxin
the spiciest substance on the plane
Five-hundred times hotter than capsaicin
don’t eat it unless you’re made of granite

Found in the latex of Euphorbia
in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco
This is definitely not a veggie
that you want to slice up for a taco

S is for scopolamine,
a drug so evil, wicked.
It’s found in deadly nightshade,
and claimed many a victim

An antimuscarinic,
too much you’ll hallucinate.
Used as the first truth serum,
your lies won’t articulate.

T is for tetrodotoxin,
made by the cuddly pufferfish.
A delicacy in Japan,
is a costly, lip-tingling dish.

A neurotoxin so potent,
you stop breathing, muscles seize.
Instead of gambling on Fugu,
you should probably order cheese.

U is for urushiol,
the poison in the ivy.
If you brush up against it
a rash and pain is likely.

Triggers an immune response,
but it may take several days.
Your second jaunt might be worse,
a sensitization phase.

V is for vomitoxin,
it delivers on its name.
Vomiting, diarrhea,
inside the bathroom of shame.

A toxin that grows on wheat,
from a fungal infection.
So harmful to our livestock,
grains undergo inspection.

W is for wistarin,
found in the flower Wisteria.
A type of legume, found throughout,
including most parts of Asia.

All parts are toxic, like its leaves,
and the seed pods from which they’re grown.
Nausea, vomiting, confusion,
it’s better to leave it alone.

X is for xanthotoxin,
fills many medical needs.
Used to treat psoriasis,
found naturally in hogweeds.

A phototoxic compound,
causes burns when mixed with light.
If you get it on your skin,
only travel out at night.

Y is for yohimbine,
from the yohimbe tree.
You’ve probably seen it,
watching late-night TV.

An aphrodisiac?
To make men last longer?
Likely a placebo,
their thing isn’t stronger.

Z is for zetekitoxin,
from the golden frog in Panama.
Beautiful, but really a toad.
Don’t take one, it’s against the law.

Blocks sodium ion channels,
akin to tetrodotoxin.
The frog gets it from its diet,
if you handle one use caution.

Whew. That's it, The Poisonous Alphabet!
You can also check it out on the website for easier viewing and a few other words: naturespoisons.com/2019/07/02/poi…